090131-N-6692A-004 EAST CHINA SEA (Jan. 31, 2009) - The forward-deployed amphibious dock landing ship USS Harpers Ferry (LSD 49) sails in route to participate in Exercise Cobra Gold 09 (CG 09). CG 09 is an annual Thailand and U.S. co-sponsored joint coalition multinational military exercise designed to train a Thai, U.S. and Singaporean Coalition Task Force. The exercise will also include humanitarian civic action projects with participating nations from Indonesia, Japan, Singapore, Thailand and the U.S, and a U.S. Thai military field training exercise. Exercise Cobra Gold provides unique and dynamic training opportunities for participating military partners, while promoting relationship building between militaries and local communities.